Cited by 163Airway Management and Intubation TechniquesRespiratory Support and MechanismsTrauma and Emergency Care Studies

Emergency intubation for acutely ill and injured patients

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Lecky, Fiona, Bryden, Daniele, Little, Rod, Tong, Nam, Moulton, Chris·2008·Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Emergency intubation has been widely advocated as a life saving procedure in severe acute illness and injury associated with real or potential compromises to the patient's airway and ventilation. However, some initial data have suggested a lack of observed benefit. OBJECTIVES: To determine in acutely ill and injured patients who have real or anticipated problems in maintaining an adequate airway whether emergency endotracheal intubation, as opposed to other airway management techniques, improves the outcome in terms of survival, degree of disability at discharge or length of stay and complications occurring in hospital. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Injuries Group Specialised Register (December 2006), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2006, Issue 4), MEDLINE (1950 to November 2006), EMBASE (1980 to week 50, December 2006), National Research Register (Issue 4, 2006), CINAHL (1980 to December 2006), BIDS (to December 2006) and ICNARC (to December 2006). We also examined reference lists of articles for relevant material and contacted experts in the field. Non-English language publications were searched for and examined. SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised (RCTs) or controlled clinical trials involving the emergency use of endotracheal intubation in the injured or acutely ill patient were examined. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: The full texts of 452 studies were reviewed independently by two authors using a standard form. Where the review authors felt a study may be relevant for inclusion in the final review or disagreed, the authors examined the study and a collective decision was made regarding its inclusion or exclusion from the review. The results were not combined in a meta-analysis due to the heterogeneity of patients, practitioners and alternatives to intubation that were used. MAIN RESULTS: We identified three eligible RCTs carried out in urban environments. Two trials involved adults with non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. One of these trials found a non-significant survival disadvantage in patients randomised to receive a physician-operated intubation versus a combi-tube (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.09 to 1.99). The second trial detected a non-significant survival disadvantage in patients randomised to paramedic intubation versus an oesophageal gastric airway (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.90). The third included study was a trial of children requiring airway intervention in the prehospital environment. The results indicated no difference in survival (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.11) or neurologic outcome (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.22) between paramedic intubation versus bag-valve-mask ventilation and later hospital intubation by emergency physicians; however, only 42% of the children randomised to paramedic endotracheal intubation actually received it. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of emergency intubation as currently practised has not been rigorously studied. The skill level of the operator may be key in determining efficacy. In non-traumatic cardiac arrest, it is unlikely that intubation carries the same life saving benefit as early defibrillation and bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In trauma and paediatric patients, the current evidence base provides no imperative to extend the practice of prehospital intubation in urban systems. It would be ethical and pertinent to initiate a large, high quality randomised trial comparing the efficacy of competently practised emergency intubation with basic bag-valve-mask manoeuvres (BVM) in urban adult out-of-hospital non-traumatic cardiac arrest.

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  • Prehospital advanced airway management may increase mortality for trauma patients in some circumstances.

    “there is a growing body of evidence that prehospital advanced airway management may increase mortality for trauma patients in some circumstances.8,[12][13][14]”

    From Airway Management in Trauma (2018) · cites this paper as [14]

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Hedges 2002 {published data only} Hedges JR, Adams AL, Gunnels MD. ATLS practices and survival at rural level III trauma hospital, 1995-1999. Prehospital Emergency Care 2002;6(3):299-305.
  2. Huf 1996 {published data only} Huf R, Kra S, Schildberg FW. The time of intubation and its effect on the clinical course of polytraumatized patients with pulmonary contusion [Der Einfluss des Intubationszeitpunktes auf den klinischen Verlauf polytraumatisierter Patienten mit Lungenkontusion]. Zentralblatt fur Chirurgie 1996;121(1):21-3.
  3. emergency or emergencies) Emergency intubation for acutely ill and injured patients (Review) Copyright © 2009 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Authors
Lecky, F., Bryden, D., Little, R., Tong, N., & Moulton, C.
Affiliations
  • Salford Royal Hospital (GB)
  • Royal Hallamshire Hospital (GB)
  • University of Manchester (GB)
  • Queen Elizabeth Hospital (GB)
  • Royal Bolton Hospital (GB)
Venue
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2008-04-23
Volume
2009
Issue
1
Pages
CD001429-CD001429
ISSN
  • 1361-6137 (ISSN-L)
  • 1465-1858
OpenAlex
W1581108483
Cited by
163
References
71
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 7 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 15
FWCI
3.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Airway Management and Intubation Techniques
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Respiratory Support and Mechanisms
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Emergency Medicine › Trauma and Emergency Care Studies
Keywords
emergency intubation, airway management, acute illness, trauma patients, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, survival, length of hospital stay, complications, critically ill adults, older adults, prehospital care, emergency department care, esophageal intubation
MeSH terms
Acute Disease, Adult, Airway Obstruction, Child, Emergencies, Emergency Medical Technicians, Emergency Medicine, Heart Arrest, Humans, Intubation, Intratracheal, Wounds and Injuries, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

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